In Cultural Studies, one of the concepts we look at is primary and secondary innovation. Simply put, one is the first groundbreaking idea or invention and the second represents the improvements made.

The automobile, for example, was a brand-new alternative to using animals to move things around. It was great, but the early versions were hard to use, not to mention very uncomfortable. They had to be started with a hand crank and would overheat after a few miles. Now cars have power steering, windshield wipers and can drive all day on a tank of gas. Vehicles have been so improved and updated they’re on the brink of driving themselves.

Speaking of things not running well, the last several elections have further divided rather than brought us all together, so maybe it’s time to rethink our system of governance. At elections, one group edges out the other and then spends the next four years fighting for power until the whole thing switches over to the other. One side is constantly miserable and the other is constantly frustrated.

Maybe we need to shift our approach to an active representation of the differences as they stand rather than a winner-take-all approach. We need to have representatives from different walks of life working out what best suits everyone. Perhaps instead of just using physical, place-based representation, we could include other of aspects of our society where we constantly find ourselves at odds.

As Americans, we’re so in love with achievements made in the past that we haven’t acknowledge that it’s not working for us now. I am not sure what that final redesign might look like, but it’s time to think about making some real changes. Otherwise, we’ll continue to find ourselves stuck in a ditch boiling over.